Chicago Tribune, IL
Aug 15 2005
Turkish scholar’s detention contested
Supporters decry his arrest in Armenia
By Catherine Collins
Special to the Tribune
ISTANBUL — In a rare display of cooperation, more than 200
international academics and intellectuals have sent a letter to the
Armenian president urging the release of a Duke University scholar
who went on trial this month in the former Soviet republic.
Yektan Turkyilmaz, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish background, has been
charged with violating the Armenian criminal code, a catchall that
forbids transporting contraband ranging from narcotics and poisons
to nuclear weapons and cultural objects.
Turkyilmaz, a doctoral candidate, was arrested June 17 as he tried
to leave the country with two suitcases of used books. He has been
held in a former KGB maximum-security prison in the Armenian capital,
Yerevan, and faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
“The political implications of this arrest cause grave concern,”
read the letter, sent recently by a group that included intellectuals
and academics on both sides of the Armenian mass killings divide.
Professors from the Universities of Chicago, Michigan and Minnesota
were among those who signed the letter.
The treatment of Turkyilmaz, the letter said, “would send a deterrent
signal to other independent scholars.”
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, a staunch advocate for Armenian issues,
also weighed in with a letter to Armenian President Robert Kocharian.
“Your detention of Yektan for seven weeks on any grounds would draw
attention to failings in Armenia’s democratic evolution,” Dole wrote.
“To detain him on grounds as dubious as these calls into question
Armenia’s commitment to democracy.”
The trial started Tuesday and is expected to last up to a month.
Turkyilmaz’s research into how Turks, Armenians and Kurds interacted
for centuries in the Anatolia melting pot touched on the sensitive
issue of the mass killings of Armenians in the waning days of the
Ottoman Empire.
Armenia and Armenian-Americans have been lobbying governments worldwide
to label the deaths genocide. The Turkish government insists the
deaths were the results of a civil insurrection that also claimed
the lives of innocent Turks.
Turkyilmaz’s supporters contend that the emotional topic got the
scholar into trouble, not the books he bought in second-hand stalls
and markets.
In nearly two weeks of interrogation, the academic said through
friends, he was never questioned about his books but instead about
his research and a compact disc of archival information that was to
be the basis for his writing. The disc has been confiscated.
“This should not be a political issue; this should be for the
historians to look into and decide,” said an official at the Turkish
Foreign Ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity. “From what we
had heard, this young scholar seemed to support the Armenian side of
the so-called genocide debate. It is such a strange turn of events,
to arrest him.”
For the last two years, Turkyilmaz has conducted research in Turkish
and Armenian libraries and the Turkish national archives. This year,
he was the first Turkish citizen allowed access to the Armenian
national archives, according to an Armenian government press release.
A bibliophile, Turkyilmaz scoured bookstores and open-air markets for
old books. Supporters say no one told him he needed special permission
to take the books from Armenia.
Several American and Armenian scholars have said that they also were
unaware of the restriction. Although the law has been used in stopping
the export of cultural goods such as religious icons and carpets,
it is thought to be the first time it has been applied to books.

FAMILY OF CYPRIOT ARMENIANS KILLED IN AIR CRASH IN GREECE
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15. ARMINFO. There was an Armenian family among 121
passengers killed in an air crash of a Cyprian plane on August 14.
According to the e-magazine Gibrahayer, the Armenian family of 4
persons – Hakob and Hilda Tutunjyans and their two children from
Nicosia were killed. It should be noted that Boeing 737 flying to
Prague crashed in 40 km North from the Athens not far from the town
Marathon at 12:04 p.m. local time. The main version of the crash is
depressurization of the plane. The passengers are likely to be death
at the moment of the crash with the earth. The authorities still do
not make any official statements. The only version of a terrorist
act was rejected later.

PRESIDENT DOES NOT LIKE NEW PRICES FOR ROUTE MINIBUS TICKETS IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15. ARMINFO. During his leave President Robert
Kocharyan was informed of the decision of Yerevan Mayor on rising
the prices for rote minibuses in Yerevan, Press Secretary of the
President Victor Soghomonyan informs ARMINFO.
He says the president demanded that the mayor grounds his decision.
As the mayor failed to satisfy the demand of the president, Robert
Kocharyan instructed him to cancel the decision within 24 ours and
restore the former price for tickets – 100 AMD, Soghomonyan says.
It should be noted that on August 9 Yerevan Mayor rose the prices
for route minibuses in the capital up to 130 AMD. The mayor cancelled
his decision on August 13.

STEPANAVAN PROSECUTOR OFFICE INVESTIGATES INTO ILLEGAL MASS FELLING OF PINES IN THE REGION
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15. ARMINFO. The prosecutor office of Stepanavan
is investigating into the reported cases of illegal mass felling of
pines in the nearby Gulagarak reserve.
The chief of Armenia’s forest inspection Hrachik Chibukhchyan says
that the cases have been detected exclusively by the local forest
inspection and the prosecutor office already knows 80% of the names of
the illegal wood cutters. Chibukhchyan notes that in the Lori region
the index has dropped as against last year.
To remind, Aug 5 the Lore NGO ecologists asked the Stepanavan police
to find and punish illegal pine cutters near Stepanavan. They said
that big pines were being cut very actively there. Meanwhile relict
forests are irreparable. The law on compensation for damaging flora
and fauna fines $45 for a rare tree with up to 30 cm diameter and +
$3 for each cm of a tree with over 30 cm diameter.

Opposition politician predicts impending change of power in Armenia
Arminfo
13 Aug 05
Yerevan, 13 August: “A change of power in Armenia is approaching and
it will be unexpected for many, but not for our party,” the deputy
chairman of the opposition National Unity Party [NUP], Aleksan
Karapetyan, said at a press conference today.
He promised the participants in the meeting that the budget will
quickly grow after his party comes to power, pointing to Georgia’s
example. Asked by our Arminfo correspondent whether his party expects
considerable support from Western organizations, which the Georgian
opposition received, Karapetyan stressed that party chairman Artashes
Gegamyan’s sharp criticism of “foreign moral teachers” concerned
exclusively the head of the OSCE mission in Armenia, Vladimir
Pryakhin. The NUP is in favour of relations with international
organizations.
Moreover, he expressed his confidence that it is impossible
to change the political environment in Armenia without Western
support. Karapetyan said that the West’s “soft” criticism of the
2003 presidential election in Armenia is a result of the Armenian
authorities’ pledge to make considerable concessions on the Karabakh
issue. Nevertheless, Karapetyan is sure that the current authorities
will not make any serious concessions and the West, in turn, will
bring the Armenian opposition to power.
[Passage omitted: minor details]

California Courier Online, August 18, 2005
1 – Commentary
Turks Try to Intimidate This Writer
By Threatening Him with Lawsuit
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 – Ararat Home and
Triple X Plan for
53rd Annual Picnic
3- The Really Easy Rider
4 – Professor Richard Hovannisian with
Teachers and with Deniers in Houston
5 – AGBU Generation Next Program to
Host Mentor Recruitment Events
6 – Global Gold Corp. Acquires
Tukhmanuk Mine in Armenia
7 – The ‘ARS Voice’ Will Start
Airing Sundays on Horizon TV
8 – Knights and Daughters of Vartan
Contribute to Variety of Projects
9 – Emmy-Award Winning Producer Robert Papazian
Will Keynote 9th Celebrating Saroyan Event in SF
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Turks Try to Intimidate This Writer
By Threatening Him with Lawsuit
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
While Turkish leaders are desperately trying to convince the world that
their country is civilized enough to join the European Union, they are
actually proving the exact opposite with every passing day.
Despite the fact that the Turkish leaders are supposed be on their best
behavior in order to impress the Europeans, they have yet to grant equal
rights to Turkey’s many religious and ethnic minorities. They also refuse
to return to Greek and Armenian charitable foundations in Turkey their
properties confiscated by the Turkish government decades earlier.
In an attempt to fool the international community, on the one hand Turkish
officials have advocated the setting up of a joint commission with
Armenians ostensibly to study the facts of the Armenian Genocide, while on
the other hand, they have forced the cancellation of a symposium organized
by three leading universities in Turkey, thereby preventing the discussion
of this issue even among Turkish scholars.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has boldly announced that his
government is ready to admit the Armenian Genocide if sufficient proof is
presented, while Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is bragging that Turkey has
inundated journalists, scholars, universities, libraries and
parliamentarians worldwide with revisionist books on the Armenian Genocide.
As the human rights of millions of Turkish citizens are violated on a
regular basis, it comes as no surprise that the Turkish government is
prosecuting Hrant Dink, an Armenian journalist in Turkey, for allegedly
insulting Turks in an article he wrote in his newspaper, AGOS. If found
guilty, he could be sentenced to a 1-6 year jail term.
Turkish officials and their agents are so used to silencing, intimidating
and jailing anyone who disagrees with them that they dare to bully also
their opponents overseas who are beyond their reach. No dissent is
tolerated!
This writer is quite familiar with the Turkish practice of suppressing free
speech. As the author of a weekly column that is very critical of Turkish
denialist and oppressive policies, I receive a lot of abusive e-mails from
Turks from around the world. Most of these Turks forget that the despotic
methods they practice at home to bully people or force them into silence do
not work in Western countries where freedom of expression is basic right.
Last week, when a young Armenian lady, Maral Der Ohanesian, sent a couple
of e-mails to Dr. Sedat Laciner, editor of the Journal of Turkish Weekly in
Ankara, an on-line Turkish propaganda site, complaining about the
distortions in one of its articles, he shamelessly accused her of
“fabricating” arguments.
The JTW had cleverly edited an Swiss info wire story by including
revisionist statements on the Armenian Genocide and deleting criticism of
the Turkish position, thereby giving the false impression that Peter
Briner, the President of the Senate foreign affairs committee of
Switzerland, had made statements which he had not.
When Maral forwarded to me her exchange of e-mails, I sent a strongly
worded private e-mail to JTW, castigating the staff for accusing Maral of
fabrication when they themselves had distorted the original news item
beyond recognition. Within hours of my letter, the JTW published on its
front page a “press release” with the following sensational title: “JTW
Condemns The California Courier Publisher Harut Sassounian.” Not happy with
my criticism, the JTW resorted to calling me an extremist Armenian and
threatened that
“the JTW will start a legal action in California” against me. The JTW also
posted my e-mail on its web site.
I received dozens of e-mails and phone calls from around the world, from
both Armenians and non-Armenians alike, among them several attorneys and
judges, who assured me that there was nothing illegal in what I had written
to the JTW. Criticizing a publication is not against the law in civilized
countries. That, apparently, is not the case in Turkey.
A reader from Canada wrote: “The prospect of a lawsuit against you by the
JTW in California must be extremely encouraging. They silenced their own in
Turkey. They try to silence foreign parliaments and now they’re trying to
silence an American journalist. It’s wonderful the way they are keeping the
issue alive. A lawsuit would provide a superb opportunity for a US court to
pronounce itself definitely on the Armenian Genocide.” Another reader from
Armenia wrote: “Congratulations on being vilified by the Turkish press!
It’s an achievement, and I consider it a badge of courage. Keep on pissing
them off.” A fellow publisher wrote in his newspaper: “Turks have
unwittingly made [this writer] an even bigger hero.”
The real issue is not these empty Turkish threats. As we do not live in
Turkey, no one in this country is scared or intimidated by such tactics.
What’s more important is that these Turkish propagandists had apparently
started celebrating a little prematurely. The JTW, quoting Peter Briner,
had gleefully reported that the Armenian Genocide issue would “never” be
taken up by the Swiss Senate. Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish
Labor Party, who had been interrogated by Swiss prosecutors last month for
denying the Armenian Genocide, also claimed credit for this false report.
He gave a press conference to announce that his outspoken statements on
this issue as well his testimony in Switzerland had influenced the Swiss
Senate to withdraw a pending resolution on the Armenian Genocide. Perincek
called his antics “a great success.”
Here is a more accurate report of what really transpired: To begin with,
Perincek’s bombastic statements not only got him in legal trouble in
Switzerland, but helped generate great publicity for the issue of the
Armenian Genocide in Switzerland and throughout Europe on the eve of a
decision by the Europeans to consider starting negotiations for Turkey’s
membership in the EU. Turkey then decided to deliver a note of protest to
Switzerland and cancelled the scheduled visit of the Swiss Economics
Minister Joseph Deiss to Turkey. These foolhardy Turkish actions made the
genocide issue even more newsworthy throughout the world.
Erwin Jutzet, the President of the Foreign Affairs Commission of Swiss
Parliament reacted sharply to the Turkish bullying tactics by stating:
“Turkey has to stop reacting so sensitively to such events. It would be
better to recognize once and for all the genocide of the Armenians.” Jutzet
said it was up to Turkey to make a positive move rather than “always taking
offense and resorting to blackmail. If Switzerland were to turn its back on
Turkey, it would be a bad sign for EU entry.”
More bad news surfaced for the cocky Turkish propagandists, when Sen. Peter
Briner denied having said that the Armenian Genocide would “never” be
debated in the Swiss Senate. He countered that these false reports were
“based on either a misquote or a misunderstanding.” He added: “I can never
be sure what will be on the Senate’s agenda, of course, but right now the
postponement of Economics Minister Joseph Deiss’ invitation to Turkey will
certainly be discussed” during the Foreign Affairs Committee’s next meeting
on August 23. At that time, any member of the Committee could raise the
issue of the Armenian Genocide. Should that happen, the self-declared
premature Turkish victory could end up being a defeat, thanks to the
boastful behavior of Mr. Perincek and his band of incompetent
propagandists.
Even worse for Turkey, the Swiss government declared that its law against
denial of genocide also applies to the Armenian Genocide. The Swiss Foreign
Ministry (DFA) issued a formal statement following a meeting between
Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel, the head of the Political Affairs
Division of the Foreign Ministry, and the Ambassador of Turkey in
Switzerland, in connection with the proceedings against Perincek. The
Foreign Ministry stated:
“During the meeting, the DFA underlined the applicability of Swiss law in
this matter and recalled that article 261 bis of the Swiss Penal Code
stipulates that any person who denies, minimizes or justifies a genocide or
other crimes against humanity is liable to prosecution. It is the task of
the Swiss judicial instances to decide on the modalities of the application
of the legal provisions of our country.”
Despite the boastful and threatening statements emanating from various
Turkish propagandists, the fact remains that ever fewer countries are going
along with Ankara’s denials of the Armenian Genocide. The Turkish officials
have less than six weeks to come to their senses and realize that they have
to make a bold move on the Armenian Genocide issue if they have any hope of
salvaging their sinking prospects for the start of EU negotiations on
October 3.
**************************************************************************
2 – Ararat Home and
Triple X Plan for
53rd Annual Picnic
MISSION HILLS, CA – The Ararat Home of Los Angeles and the Triple X
Fraternity of Los Angeles are planning for their 53rd annual picnic, Sept.
25, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Home grounds in Mission Hills, 15105
Mission Hills Road.
Dunk tank, carnival games and other games of skills, as well games for
children, prepared by the Jr. Triple X members of Los Angeles.
Price for the dinner, which includes lamb or chicken kebabm pilaf,
yalanchi, salad and bread is $14 per person. Also available is lahmajoun,
sou beoreg, kufta, paklava, creamed and walnut kadayif, and other assorted
pastries provided by the Ararat Ladies Auxiliary and Ararat Ladies guilds
throughout Los Angeles.
Music and entertainment will be provided by the Oasis Band.
Free shuttle bus from off-site parking is provided by the Sevan Lodge,
Knights of Vartan.
Free admission and free parking.
For more information, call (818) 365-3000.
*****************************************************************
3 – The Really Easy Rider
By Michelle Higgins
The New York Times
NEW YORK – Like pilgrims to some holy land, but tattooed and on two wheels,
thousands of motorcyclists will converge in Sturgis, South Dakota, next
week to be part of one of the country’s largest and longest-running
gatherings of bikers. Many will ride for days, enduring miles of blistering
sun, bouts of rain and the occasional mouthful of bugs before arriving in a
cloud of dust at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Chevalier Kevorkian will be there, too, just as he has been about a dozen
times before. But his bike will roll into town another way – in the back of
a tractor trailer. For roughly $675, Kevorkian, a 57-year-old screenwriter
from Palm Springs, Calif., is having his Harley shipped from his hometown
to Sturgis and back. Instead of taking three long days of riding just to
get there, he’ll arrive fresh off a flight and pick up his bike at a local
hotel.
“I just don’t have the schedule to do it this year,” said Kevorkian, who
has ridden to Sturgis from Los Angeles in the past. “At least I’ll be there
and be on my own bike.”
In a major shift from tradition, a small but growing number of enthusiasts,
who like to ride but not to rough it, are shipping
instead of riding their bikes to motorcycle events. For the months of May
through August, the Federal Warehouse Company in East Peoria, Ill., an
affiliate of Allied Van Lines, expects to ship 3,000 bikes for individuals
and groups to various places this year, up from 2,800 as recently as 2003.
Taking notice of the niche, FedEx began marketing a vehicle shipping
service in January – a venture the company bought in 2000 and rebranded
last year. FedEx is marketing the service for groups. For example, it will
ship 12 motorcycles one-way from Los Angeles to Sturgis for $617 each.
That’s $895 below the charge for shipping an individual bike.
**************************************************************
4 – Professor Richard Hovannisian with
Teachers and with Deniers in Houston
UCLA-Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, AEF Chair in Modern Armenian History
at UCLA, is continuing his worldwide activities on the ninetieth
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In June he was the keynote speaker at
the biennial conference of the International Association of Genocide
Scholars in Boca Raton, Florida. He then traveled to France, to participate
in an international symposium organized by the “Centre de Juifs, Arméniens
et Chrétiens d’Orient” (Gérard Dédéyan and Carol Iancu). Hovannisian
discussed recent revelations about the planning and organization, as well
as evolving interpretations, of the Armenian Genocide.
Dr. Hovannisian’s summer activities have included presentations in Yerevan
and Houston, Texas. He gave the opening lecture on July 22 to Armenian
youth from several countries who had come together for the annual
Hamazkayin Forum in Yerevan. As a member of the organizing committee of the
forthcoming international congress on the 1600th anniversary of the
creation of the Armenian alphabet, to be held in Yerevan in September, he
also helped to finalize arrangements for that celebration.
At the invitation of the Holocaust Museum of Houston, Hovannisian was in
Houston on July 25-26 to speak at a teacher-training institute and to give
a public lecture. For the first time, the Museum’s Max Kaplan Summer
Institute for Educators received a formal presentation on the Armenian
Genocide, during which Hovannisian emphasized the significance of the
Armenian experience as a prototype of mass killings in the modern age.
Teachers from five states as well as from Chile, Uruguay, and Romania
learned of the preconditions and warning signals of genocide, the role of
ideology, the use of technology, and the similarities and differences
between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust.
According to the Museum’s Director of Education, Christina Vasquez, the
teachers became engrossed with the subject and were captivated by
Hovannisian’s presentation. She added: “The lecture about the Armenian
genocide and its relation to the Holocaust was framed in a very skillful
way so that our participants could use the information in their classrooms.
What was particularly striking was the twelve points in the patterns of
genocide, as well as how the situation in Turkey in regard to the Armenian
genocide sadly differs from Germany’s confrontation of its past.”
On the evening of July 26, a turn-away audience filled the Holocaust
Museum’s auditorium for Prof. Hovannisian’s public lecture. In his
reflective discourse, the speaker considered the historical, ethical, and
humanitarian aspects of the genocide. He began by taking note of the
presence of members of the American Turkish Association of Houston, who had
come with denial literature and prepared questions to challenge the reality
of the Armenian Genocide. Apparently, high-ranking Turkish officials and a
supportive non-Turkish organization in the United States had lobbied for
cancellation of the lecture, but the Holocaust Museum stood firm in its
invitation. Hovannisian suggested that the ATA members and all other
doubters should become better acquainted with the facts and the consensus
of world scholarship and join the growing number of Turkish scholars who
now reject the state’s untenable narrative of events. He noted that one of
the sad consequences of denial is that it has prevented proper
acknowledgement of the thousands of good Turks and other Muslims who
intervened to rescue Armenians during the deportations and massacres.
Prof. Hovannisian’s adept handling of the situation was roundly applauded
by the audience but apparently did not satisfy all of those who had come to
detract. During the discussion period, many of the familiar denial
arguments were reiterated, but they were met with calm, factually-based
responses and a new appeal for all sides to face their history honestly as
a necessary precondition to some form of eventual conciliation. The speaker
hoped that his reflections on the legacy of the Armenian Genocide might
further the on-going quest for truth and the ability to look forward while
never losing sight of the past.
On his arrival in Houston on July 25, Hovannisian enjoyed the company of
members of the Houston Armenian community at a reception in the home of
Joseph and Alice Galoostian. Philip Kanayan and Vatche Hovsepian assisted
with local arrangements.
**************************************************************************
5 – AGBU Generation Next Program to
Host Mentor Recruitment Events
GLENDALE, Calif. – The AGBU Generation Next Mentorship Program is currently
recruiting dedicated, qualified young adults to mentor Armenian youth of
Southern California.
Since 1997, AGBU Generation Next Mentorship program, whose mission is to
serve the Armenian youth by providing them with guidance and mentoring, has
helped hundreds of youth. Adult volunteers from Generation Next act as
positive role models and provide friendship and companionship to Armenian
youth. This mentoring relationship is intended to introduce young Armenians
to new experiences and alternatives, enabling them to become responsible,
self-sufficient, and independent adults.
To become a mentor, applicants must be at least 21 years of age, an insured
safe driver, and able to commit to a one year relationship with a student
(October to August).
This recruitment drive is crucial since the biggest obstacle to the
continued success of the unique program remains the number of mentors that
are willing to dedicate their time to the younger generation.
Mentor Recruitment sessions will be held, Aug. 16, Aug. 31, and Sept. 7,
from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Glendale Unified School District, Room 103,
223 North Jackson Street, Glendale.
To receive more information about the program or to request an application
to become a mentor, call 626-794-7942 or email [email protected].
***************************************************************************
6 – Global Gold Corp. Acquires
Tukhmanuk Mine in Armenia
GREENWICH, CT – Global Gold Corporation acquired the Tukhmanuk gold mine,
plant, and surrounding exploration sites in Armenia and, on July 29, closed
a private placement raising $3 million. Global Gold will use the proceeds
to fund the Tukhmanuk acquisition and expansion as well as to further its
mining and exploration projects and for working capital.
The transaction involved the issuance of four million shares of common
stock at $0.75 per share. Lead investors include current shareholders
Firebird Global Master Fund, Ltd., Firebird Republics Fund, Ltd, and
Firebird Avrora Fund, Ltd () and new shareholders East
Capital (), Falcon QPLP, and Dover Industries.
The Tukhmanuk property is adjacent to Global Gold’s Hankavan property in
central Armenia, between the Aragatsotn and Kotayk provinces. In addition,
the acquisition includes a 200,000-ton per year capacity plant and the
Damlik, Mirak, Grebnevaya, Ozyornaya, Emin Yourt, Voskedzor, and Dalma
exploration sites. The property is held by the Armenian company Mego-Gold,
LLC, for which Global Gold’s subsidiary Global Gold Mining, LLC (“GGM”)
agreed to pay $3,500,000. GGM is initially paying $1,500,000 for 51% of
Mego-Gold and paying the balance of the purchase price for the remaining
49% within
two years.
Global Gold Corporation is an international gold mining, development and
exploration company with mining properties in Chile and Armenia. Global
Gold Corporation is located at 104 Field Point Road, Greenwich, CT.
More information can be found at
**************************************************************************
7 – The ‘ARS Voice’ Will Start
Airing Sundays on Horizon TV
GLENDALE – The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA (ARS-WR), Regional
Executive announced last week that the “ARS Voice,” a one-hour program will
air on Horizon TV starting on August 14. from 8 to 9 pm.
“After several months of planning, we will have our own studio corner to
air this exciting new program,” said Angela Savoian, Chair of the ARS-WR
Regional Executive. She added, “If you already get the Horizon TV, be sure
to tune in at 8 pm on Sunday.”
The new television program will be commercial free, but the ARS is seeking
sponsors who believe in being part of serving the social, health and
educational needs of the Armenian people in the US, as well as in the
homeland.
Horizon 24-Hour Television is available on cable in the Glendale area, and
by satellite in other areas. To subscribe to the 24-hour satellite service,
call (866) 955-9327.
**************************************************************************
8 – Knights and Daughters of Vartan
Contribute to Variety of Projects
TAYLOR, MI – The Knights and Daughters of Vartan are service organizations
dedicated to Armenian causes. During the past year they have received
donations totaling over $225,000 of which over $165,000 has been
transferred to the World Bank ASIF Account for the 90/10 program. This
program is to repair or construct schools in Armenia that are in need and
supported by the local communities. The total number of school projects to
date number 128. The Knights of Vartan has been a vessel which has helped
to contribute over $1,000,000 to the World Bank ASIF Program.
Each community is required to raise 10% of the necessary funding and the
World Bank provides the remaining 90%. The money contributed is controlled
by the World Bank to insure that actual costs of the project are maintained
and meet strict requirements.
In addition, the Knights and Daughters of Vartan provide assistance to
other charitable organizations such as Adopt-A-School in Armenia, Armenian
Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Michigan,
scholarships within the United States to Armenian offspring of Knights and
Daughters of Vartan, 50 scholarships in Armenia for students of the
University of Yerevan and the State Engineering University of Armenia,
Armenian Eye Care Project, BAFA Soup Kitchens in Armenia, Nork
Marash Medical Center-Children’s Cardiac Center of Armenia, support for two
Armenian Assembly Summer Interns and many other charities.
The Daughters of Vartan contribute to Armenian American Wellness Center,
formally known as the Mammography Center, Armenian Missionary Association
of America, Habitat for Humanity International for Armenia, Medical
Outreach for Armenians, many schools and universities, several Armenian
children’s camps and many of the organizations that the Knights
of Vartan sponsor.
**************************************************************************
9 – Emmy-Award Winning Producer Robert Papazian
Will Keynote 9th Celebrating Saroyan Event in SF
SAN FRANCISCO – Emmy-award winning TV and motion picture producer Robert
Papazian will speak about “Saroyan and the Stage and Screen,” at the 9th
Celebrating Saroyan Event at the San Francisco Public Library, Koret
Auditorium on Sept. 17.
He is the CEO of Sunset-Gower Studios formerly Columbia Pictures in
Hollywood.
In addition, David Calonne, PhD, will introduce the play Jim Dandy. Eddy
Budworth, American Conservatory Theater producer will present a scene from
that play.
The doors to the auditorium will open at 1:30 the program begins at 2 PM.
Seating is open and limited. The program is free to the public. For
information, contact Jacqueline Kazarian 415 307 4418.
Co-sponsors include the Armenian Embassy, The Commonwealth Club of CA, The
UC Bancroft Library, The Fromm Institute, SF. chapters of Hamazkayin ,
Armenian Professional Society, Krouzian Zekarian Vasbouragan Armenian
School, UC Berkeley Armenian Alumni, SF Museum & Historical Society, SF
City Guides, Fred FinchYouth Center and City Lights Booksellers to mention
a few.
-*************************************************************************
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–Boundary_(ID_9Q35/kaONAM66dBGYKH+pw)–

ARMENIAN SIDE FIRED AT AZERBAIJANI POSITIONS
2005-08-13 17:47
Azerbaijan News Service
Aug 13 2005
Armenian armed forces in occupied Kuropatkino village of Khojavend
region opened machine gun fire to opposite positions of Azerbaijani
army at night from August 12 to 13 for half an hour informs press
service of Defense Ministry. Azerbaijani army put down the opposite
side with an answering fire. There is no report of human loss.

Azeri prosecutor says youth activist not to be prosecuted
ANS TV, Baku
15 Aug 05
[Presenter in studio] Prosecutor-General Zakir Qaralov has said that
Osman Alimuradov, who was involved in negotiations with Armenian secret
agents together with [leader of the Yeni Fikir youth movement who is
charged with plotting to overthrow the government] Ruslan Basirli,
will not be prosecuted.
[Qaralov shown addressing a news conference] Osman Alimuradov is an
active member of the Yeni Fikir youth movement. You know, there is
a norm in the Criminal Code which says that if a person reports the
crimes he may have committed to the law-enforcement bodies, he is
exempt from prosecution.
Therefore, all citizens who have information about serious crimes
should share it with the prosecutor’s office and other law-enforcement
bodies, and they will not face any charges.
[Presenter] Zakir Qaralov also told the news conference that the
people facing charges can certainly have their candidacies registered
to stand in the [November] parliamentary election, but the registration
does not make them immune from prosecution.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Official in Georgia’s South Ossetia urges merger with Russian neighbour
Regnum, Moscow
8 Aug 05
A round table of political parties and public organizations of the
Republic of North Ossetia – Alania and South Ossetia [part of Georgia]
was held in Vladikavkaz in late July. As a result of the round table,
an address to Russian President Vladimir Putin was adopted calling
for the unification of the two Ossetias. Also, the decision was made
on the unification of political parties of North and South Ossetia.
After the round table, the head of the South Ossetian delegation,
the deputy chairman of the South Ossetian parliament and the chairman
of the committee for foreign policy, defence and security, Yuriy
Dzitstsoytty, answered several questions from a Regnum correspondent.
[Dzitstsoytty] It is very gratifying that the idea was born there,
in North Ossetia, and that the impetus was given from there. This is
very pleasing. We considered several issues, among them the situation
in South Ossetia. The participants in the meeting adopted an address
to President Putin. It is gratifying to note that the project has
been prepared by the North Ossetian side and that our participation
was very insignificant.
We don’t know yet what will come out of this, but it is very comforting
that public organizations and political parties of North Ossetia
are beginning to understand that Ossetia cannot be separated. I was
delighted to see such a broad spectrum of North Ossetian political
parties represented at the meeting, from the communists to the Union
of Right Forces party and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
[Correspondent] What will be the outcome of the unification of
political parties and public organizations of the North and South
Ossetias?
[Dzitstsoytty] I think this is a healthy and very good idea.
Unification can’t happen overnight or through the adoption of one
particular act. It takes place at the level of people. This is a
business in which northern and southern Ossetians are involved. The
unification also takes place at the level of parliaments. I suggested
at the meeting that the interparliamentary assembly of the two
Ossetias, which was established in 1996, be re-established. And the
idea went down quite well. The unification of political parties is
another major step towards a single Ossetia.
[Correspondent] The fraternal republics have repeatedly agreed
to maintain cooperation over the last 15 years that have passed
since the break-up of the USSR. However such agreements were purely
declarative. Being a “poor relation”, South Ossetia had no privileges
or other perks from its northern brother, but 2003 can be considered
as the year that kick-started the implementation of the programme of
socioeconomic integration of the two Ossetias. What is your assessment
of the current state of integration between North and South Ossetia?
[Dzitstsoytty] The level of integration is actually very high. We
have to consider the fact that there have been no interruptions
in power supplies of late and the construction of a gas pipeline
has started. The only problem is the ill-famed customs service. It
needs to be strictly controlled on the part of the North Ossetian
administration. I have repeatedly crossed the Russian-Ukrainian,
Russian-Polish, Polish-German, French, Armenian borders, but never
encountered such lengthy delays and inspections.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anglican Primate to join a Canadian ecumenical delegation to Armenia
BY DIANA MAVUNDUSE
Anglican Church of Canada (press release), Canada
Aug 15 2005
AUGUST 15, 2005 — The Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada,
Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, is part of a five-member ecumenical
delegation set to visit Armenia from Aug. 24 to Sep.1, 2005.
The visit organised by the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Church, is in response to an invitation by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to
visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. It is the first ever visit by
such a delegation from Canada to Armenia. Led by the Primate of the
Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Bishop
Bagrat Galstanian, the delegation will discuss future prospects for
the role and mission of Christian churches and cooperation between
the Eastern and Western churches. The delegation will also meet with
Armenian government officials.
Other members of the delegation are: Archbishop Sotirios, Metropolitan
of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Canada, Archbishop Brendan
O~RBrien, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
and Professor Richard Schneider, President of the Canadian Council
of Churches.
The dates for this visit were chosen to coincide with celebrations
commemorating the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian
alphabet, which take place between Aug. 24 and Sept.1st. The delegation
will have an opportunity to participate in the celebrations.
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the pre-eminent centre of
authority in the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Located near Yerevan, the capital city of the Republic of Armenia,
it includes The Mother Cathedral of the entire Armenian Church, the
residence of the Catholicos, a monastery, the Gevorgian Theological
Seminary and a museum that houses the religious artefacts and
treasures of the Armenian Church. The Cathedral dates to the 4th
century, and is considered to be the oldest Christian cathedral in
the world. Holy Etchmiadzin became the seat of the Catholicate of the
entire Armenian nation in the 4th century, following the conversion
of King Tiridates III to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator
in AD 301. Christianity became a powerful force in preserving the
identity of the Armenians who have lived under foreign rule for much
of their history.
The Armenian Orthodox church is a member of the Oriental Orthodox
family of churches that includes Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian,
Eritrean and the (Indian) Malankara. There is an on-going theological
dialogue between Anglicans and the Oriental family. In November 2002,
the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission reached an
Agreed Statement on Christology.
The Rev. Canon Harold Nahabedian of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto,
(the only Armenian Anglican priest in Canada), is a member of the
Commission.
Formal dialogue between the Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox
churches stemmed from recommendations of the Lambeth Conferences of
1988 and 1998 and the decisions of the Oriental Orthodox Churches that
the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue be upgraded from a forum (1985-1993)
to a commission.
Armenians dispersed throughout the world after the Armenian Genocide
of 1915 when 1.5 million Armenians perished and millions more fled.
Today there are more Armenians living outside the country than inside
Armenia. It is estimated that over 80,000 Armenians live in Canada.
In 2002, the Federal Government of Canada designated 24 April as a
day of remembrance of the 1915 genocide, the first genocide of the
20th century.
The relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Canadian
Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church, dates back 125 years, when
in the absence of Armenian sanctuaries, the Anglicans offered the
Armenians liturgical space and hospitality in Anglican churches.
Through the Scholarship of St. Basil the Great, administered by the
Anglican Foundation, the relationship between the Armenian Orthodox
Church and the Canadian Anglicans has been strengthened and become
better known.
The scholarship, established by Bishop Henry Gordon Hill, retired
bishop of the Diocese of Ontario, is meant to facilitate exchanges
between members of the Anglican Church of Canada and members of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Assyrian Church of the East.
In 1997, Rev. Sargis Boyajyan of the Armenian Orthodox church was the
second recipient of the scholarship. He studied theology and English
and is now serving in the diocese of Montreal.
Another recipient, the Rev. Canon Philip Hobson, travelled to Armenia
and Jerusalem where he spent four months sharing in the life of the
Armenian Apostolic Church and lecturing on the Anglican Church.
For further information on the visit please contact: Deacon
Hagop Arslanian, assistant to the Primate Armenian Holy
Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese 615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont
Quebec H2V 3H2 Tel: 514~V276-9479 Email:[email protected]
Website: